Chapter Two: Cappacino

The boy immediately dropped his bundle and snatched up the hem of Heero's suit jacket. He began wringing it out, trying to get out as much of the coffee off the coat as possible before it set. He was startled when Heero slapped the teen's hand away. Heero looked at his suit in dismay. The teen reached forward again, this time accidentally knocking Heero's coffee cup out of his hand, spilling hot coffee all over his shiny black shoes.

"What are you doing?" he snapped.

The boy shrunk backwards, daunted by his infuriated voice and cold blue eyes. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to spill my drink on your suit. The subway kinda caught me by surprise--" The teen began in a light, husky voice.

Heero supressed a surprised shudder at the boy's voice and immediately started in on his rant."You come on to the subway, trailing a bundle and carrying caffinated coffee, of all things. You spill said coffee on my Armani suit, staining it horribly. Then, to make matters worst, you try to wring the stain out of said Armani suit, knocking my own coffee, which happens to be decaffinated, on my Italian leather shoes in the process." Heero took a deep, calming breath. "And, to top it all off, I have to go to an interview I'm already late for looking like this!"

The boy looked frightened for a second, then drew himself up. "Look, man, I said I was sorry, okay? And it was a cappacino, not coffee," he said. He looked triumphant as he added. "Plus, half the known universe happens to drink caffinated coffee. Decaf is for lightweights. And you had coffee on the subway too, riskin' the same thing I was. So there!" The teen then proceeded to stick out his tongue childishly. A cute little pink tongue, Heero thought subconsciously.

"Things like this don't happen to me," he snapped back.

"Well, excuse me, Kami-sama," the teen retorted sarcastically.

Heero's face reddened in anger. He was about to yell back at him, but the subway train stopped and he realized he needed to get off. He would have been glad had he not noticed that the annoying cappacino boy was also getting off.

"Why are you following me?" he barked.

"You ain't the center of the universe, hon," the braided teen retorted. "I suggest you get your corporate ass off your high horse and stop bein' a jackass. Not many people are as nice as me."

"What are you going to do? Attack other innocent, unsuspecting people with your cappacinoes?" Heero shot back.

"No," the boy said snottily. "Even though it ain't your business, hon, I'm late for an interview set up by my cousin Trowa. The kid says I got talent, and I trust Tro-chan's opinion. Though, personally--"

"Wait. Do you mean Trowa Barton?" Heero interrupted. The boy stopped and looked at him curiously.

"Yeah. What of it?" he asked guardedly.

Heero looked slightly shell shocked, but was still lucid enough to be pleased yet annoyed by this turn of events. He would get to interview the cobalt eyed nymph, but since the boy was so annoying, he'd probably let him go. "I am Heero Yuy, executive director of Winner/Chang Productions here in Tokyo," he said, bowing. Now it was the braided boy's turn to be shell shocked. "Duo Maxwell?" Duo. What a unique name, Heero thought dreamily, completely forgetting that he was thinking about a boy atleast five years his junior.

Shit, shit, shit, the boy was thinking in his head. "Well...er, what's up, Mr.Yuy? I run, I hide, but I never lie," Duo said nervously. His previous mantra picked up speed, sounding more along the lines of shitshitshitshitshit now.

Watching that beautiful, nervous face, Heero couldn't bring himself to be angry. He allowed a smirk to grace his face, and swept out one arm to encompass Yorokonde, which was across the street.

"After you," he said, bowing. The braided boy looked surprised, but he bowed back awkwardly and started across the street, Heero close behind him. When they reached Yorokonde, the manager himself opened the doors.

"Ohayo gozaimashite, Yuy-kun. What will it be today?" the Japanese manager asked.

"Sushi, kudasai," Heero said. He gestured to Duo. "I have an interview."

"Hai, Yuy-kun," the manager said, bowing. The small man disappeared around a corner, and another small Japanese person, a waiter, appeared.

"This way, Yuy-kun," he said, walking quickly toward a table near the back. After they were seated, the Japanese waiter produced a bottle of Japanese rice wine and two small sake cups seemingly out of nowhere. Bowing, he also disappeared.

Duo settled back in his chair and began to watch his Japanese companion closely. Heero was a veritable work of art, with unruly chocolate brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes a color Duo was sure wasn't even in books anymore. He'd seen a man once with those eyes, a politician who was assassinated not too long ago.

Suddenly Heero looked straight into Duo's eyes and the braided boy was paralyzed. What amazing eyes, they both thought at the exact same time. Then Heero shoke his head as if to clear it and leaned forward a bit.

"Time for a little business, ne?" he said, unaware that his deep voice made the braided teen shiver. "I'm willing to forgive you your mistake on the subway if you prove to me you can take the job we are offering. I'm going to ask you a series of questions. Ready?"

Duo nodded and looked determined. "Whenever you are, hon," he said, using the new nickname he had acquired for Heero. The Japanese man cringed, but accepted it with a fair amount of grace.

"How old are you?" he began, pinning the teen to be about sixteen.

"I'm legal, if that's what you mean," the boy joked, earning a glare from Heero. "Sorry, hon. I'm nineteen, twenty this fall."

"Hn," Heero murmured, looking thoughtful. "Do you know for which job you are applying?"

"Whaddya mean? There's more?" Duo asked, surprised.

"Of course. Actor or actress, agent, make-up artist, janitor..." Heero said. Duo cringed at the last.

"Definitely actor," he said, nodding to himself as if to confirm. "I'm tryin' out for the new movie by Miss Lizabeth and Miss Iria Winner, "A God To A Goddess." I heard it would be the best thing since Jackie Chan spoke English, so here I am."

"Right," Heero said. "Anyway, can you sing?"

"Didn't Trowa tell you?" Duo asked.

"No," Heero said bluntly. "My secretary likes to keep most things to himself." Like his developing relationship with my boss, Heero added silently.

"Well, I normally sing at Howard's Kareoke Bar down in Times Square. Don't know if you've heard, but they say I'm nothin' to cough at over there," Duo said with pride.

"No, I haven't," Heero said, all the while internally gasping in surprise. This boy was the famous Shinigami, best singer since Utada Hikaru, Heero thought, amazed. He looked the boy over once more. "And only nineteen," he murmured.

"What was that, Hee-chan?" Duo asked, looking at the older man curiously.

"H-hee-chan?!" Heero sputtered. Before he could say anything, the food arrived. After the unagi and other various seafoods were placed before them, and the waiter had left, Heero pinned Duo with his famous death glare, well known at work and at his apartment complex. "Don't call me that."

"What? You like being called hon better?" Duo asked curiously, a small smirk on his face. Heero looked undecided, but then nodded decisively.

"Hai." Duo looked surprised. "The word '-chan' is only used for pets and girls. Do not call me that again. Though I doubt we'll know each other long enough for you to use it again," Heero said coldly. Duo looked mildly hurt, then shrugged and smiled widely.

"No prob, hon! Now interview me like a good lil' exec so I can get back to my sushi," he joked, grinning.

Heero looked slightly disgruntled, but quickly recovered and proceeded with the standard interview. "Do you have any special acknowledgements to your name that may help me to make my decision?" he asked.

"Wha?" Duo said, a confused look in his blue eyes. "Special acknowledgements?"

Heero sighed. This questioned seemed to catch a lot of their actresses and models, not aspiring actors. Oh well. "Awards? Namesakes? Maybe a nickname from highschool or something for your singing prowess? It's mainly to see if you have what it takes to be an actor."

"Yeah, I got accomplishments," Duo said. "When I was six I won the Saint Mary Episcople Church's Talent Contest For Young and Rebellious Children, and when I was ten I won the St.Paul Cathedral's Choir of the Fallen Angel Competition. When I was fifteen I--"

"Anything recently?" Heero asked exasperatedly.

Duo brightened. "Oh, at Howard's they call me Shinigami, 'cuz I sing so many sad songs about Death and Destruction."

"I've heard rumors of a singer called Shinigami, someone with a voice like a siren and a face to match," Heero said, watching Duo's face carefully.

"Really? They say that about me? I never knew!" Duo exclaimed, grinning.

"Rumors also say that Shinigami is a middle-aged woman wearing a large amount of make up who lip-syncs," Heero added. Duo's face fell.

"Middle-aged!" he wailed. "Someone says I look middle-aged!" Heero actually had to remember not to laugh at the boy's antics.

"Next question," he said quickly. "Have you ever acted before?"

"Yep. Everyday," Duo answered.

Heero looked surprise, then shrugged. "Give me an example."

"Well, on the subway today. I was trying to be all nice and submissive about the whole coffee thing, when I was really trying my hardest not to tell you that I thought you were sexy as hell," Duo began. Heero's eyes widened, but Duo wasn't done yet. "I also thought you were a complete jackass and tightwad, but I hid it pretty well."

Heero cleared his throat, then coughed for good measure. "Er...aside from Trowa, is their anyone who can vouch for your talent?"

"My Mother and Sister," Duo said promptly. Heero jotted some things down on napkin with a pen he pulled out.

"Do you have any side jobs that might interfere with the company policy that states you are on call 24/7?" he asked.

"Um, no, nothing I can't get away from," the braided teen said. Heero jotted a few more things down, then folded the napkin and put it away.

"Well, that's it," he said. He pulled out his card and handed it to Duo. "That's my home number and email address. Both are subject to change since I have recently acquired...unwanted advances." Heero stood and smoothed his suit jacket. "I have to be getting back to my office. I have a few meetings this afternoon. The food is paid for so stay as long as you want. We'll call you," he added.

Heero turned to leave and was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Duo was standing, his body pressed closely to Heero's. "Thanks for the date, Hee- baby," he said, before leaning forward and pressing his lips against the Asian man's and pressing a slip of paper into one hand. Heero looked at it quickly to see a series of numbers. Stepping back, Duo grinned. "Call me, hon. Ja ne!" And Duo was out the restuarant. Heero stood frozen where he was, a tanned hand pressed to his lips. Duo had just kissed him? Heero was in a daze. Shaken himself out of it, he nodded decisively. He was definitely calling him.

He headed out of the restuarant toward the subway station, then changed his mind and followed the flow of school kids toward the bullet train. It wasn't until he was well on his way back to W/C Productions when it struck him. Hee-baby?